1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to processors, and more particularly to programmable microprocessor systems.
2. Background of the Invention
Designing processor systems can be a daunting task. Moreover, the suitability of a processor for a given application is not always ideal. Unfortunately, it is a difficult and expensive task to modify an existing processor design. Also, redesigning a processor to have additional features to cover a plurality of applications is a difficult and costly endeavor. Additionally, it is not always possible to know all of the target applications that a processor may be architected for when the processor is designed.
Instead of attempting to modify a processor, many designers choose to execute a pure software solution for certain aspects of various applications. However, using software typically results in a lower performing final solution.
Other designers opt to instill some of the processing special purpose hardware, such as a coprocessor, that they design for the application(s). However, this approach costs valuable time in transferring data to and from the special purpose hardware.
Prior art attempts at extending processor instruction sets pre-silicon (before fabrication) have been made. One example is the Intel MMX processor. Other examples include media processing, graphics processing, digital signal and image processing (DSP), and networks processors. Many different processors must be designed for many different applications, and this is an expensive endeavor.
Thus, an improved system and method for designing processors is desired that exhibits valuable performance gains when targeting a variety of applications.